Indonesia and Malaysia advice please

[breechan]

Hello everyone. I'm going to Kuala Lumpur, Maylasia, and Bali, Indonesia at the end of April for a vacation. I have all the hotels, flights etc all ready to go. But there's a couple things I could use some advice on thats not necessarily in the guide books.

1) What kinds of things should I wear? (including footwear). I need to maximize suitcase space forsure!

2) Do I have to worry about being modestly covered (I know Malaysia has a large Muslim population)? For example, If I wear a sleeveless top and mid-length shorts, am I going to recieve a lot of unwanted attention?

3) What should I be wary of?

Any other info or advice for a female traveller is appreciated.

 

[captodometer]

Sleeveless tops and shorts are never a good idea for female travelers, especially outside of Western Europe/North America/Australia/New Zealand. Expect unwanted attention if you decide to wear them in Malaysia and Indonesia, and possibly malaria if you aren't careful enough with your mosquito repellent: I believe the malarial risk is fairly low in the actual areas that you are going to, but it is a definite risk in both countries.

 

[AmberLilith]

I thought the same about wearing modest clothing in Malaysia, as that's what it was like when i was there about 10 years ago.
But my sisters went last summer and they were fine with long shorts, skirts, t-shirts. Though i'd still be wary of wearing small clothing because you look like a tourist -but i've heard that said about european countries too!! And obviously about really small clothing like hotpants n bikini tops -they hardly have their place in any country other than in a swimming pool, but i'm sure you'll be more cautious than that!

I found a couple of good links to travel guides for Malaysia when my sisters were going, I'll post them for you.

Also, if you have time, look into the vaccinations that your doctor would recommend -i'm not sure which you'd be advised to get. My sister didn't get hers because she ran out of time, can't remember if the other sister had hers or not. If you do get them, check out the side-effects of them too.


Edit:
Wikitravel is always useful:
Malaysia travel guide - Wikitravel

Quote:

from Wikitravel: Respect As in any predominantly Muslim country, you should dress respectfully, particularly in rural areas (wearing trousers not shorts and covering your shoulders is recommended but not essential). In more metropolitan areas such as Kuala Lumpur, attitudes are more liberal. As a tourist, it is best not to criticize the Government and especially the Malay royal families. When entering a home or a place of worship, always take off your shoes. Also, never eat with your left hand, or give a gift with your left hand; and never point with your forefinger (you may use a closed fist with the thumb instead), point the bottoms of your feet at a person or touch a person's head. Public showing of affection in larger cities is tolerated but might invite unnecessary attention from the public. In more rural areas it is frowned upon and is to be avoided. Same-sex relationships is a taboo subject in Malaysia. Gay and lesbian travellers should avoid any outward signs of affection, including holding hands in public.

Lonely Planet is a great travel guide, I use it whenever i travel. It also has forums.
Malaysia Travel Guide and Travel Information - Lonely Planet
Kuala Lumpur Travel Guide and Travel Information - Lonely Planet

Virtual Tourist has experiences/reviews and photos posted by people who have been there:
Kuala Lumpur Travel Guide - Vacations - VirtualTourist.com

These sites will also have a section about Indonesia.
HTH!

 

[breechan]

Thanks for the replies so far. I've spent at least 3 hours looking at the linkage materials.

Any footwear advice for Indonesia or Malaysia?

I have horribly sensitive feet and I'm a bit worried to wear my Nike Airs, as they will be hot, get wet, and perhaps make me a target?

Since showing feet is considered rude, are thong sandals a bad idea?

 

[ivone4eva]

just wear whatever you like as long as u wear a bra underneath.. i was born and raise in Kuala Lumpur.... However only muslims are covered up but nowadays Muslims do not cover up as much....KL is hot and humid just wear what you would during summer.... its the same in Bali.... as both cities are tourist places... i am sure u could find alot of ppl sun bathing naked in Bali...it will be just fine Beware of snatch thief when u walk along the road.....

 

[smellyocheese]

I'm here!! a Malaysian! Lol

What you should wear:
- It's gonna be hot!! so feel free to wear any light t-shirts or tank tops are fine. there are many non muslims here (like me) and it's completely fine to wear a tube with shorts even especially in Kuala Lumpur. The city people are much more modern. I think we're just a little more concerned with braless-ness. so, as long as you wear a bra and don't wear bikini and midriff showing tops like in Miami or something then you're fine. for shoes, get really comfy walking shoes. sneakers or stretchy sandals especially when you're gonna walk a lot. I'd prefer to wear sandals because it rains here and you won't wanna get your sneakers and socks soaked.

Bring a sunblock and sunnies.... yeah, that's about it for clothing.

There are alot of mosquitoes here but you don't actually have to lather yourself up with repellent although bringing it doesn't hurt. I don't think we have malaria here but there's dengue fever although it isn't too bad now. and you're gonna be in KL so maybe you'd just need some repellent for night time or if you go into bushes and stuff.

Snatch thieves are something that you should be aware of. Pick pockets. just be alert especially in crowds.

Avoid taking cabs in the city because they LOVE to overcharge tourists. It's actually quite convenient to the the train (KTM, LRT, Monorail) and you can practically get to most major areas by train. Forget about buses. It's confusing as it is for me and I live here.

Food-wise, you won't go hungry here. There's food everywhere 24/7. If you'd like to have the local cuisines at low prices, you may want to close an eye on hygiene standards. You won't get sick or anything so don't be too worried. But usually restaurants in malls tend to be cleaner but more expensive.

feel free to PM me if you need anymore info!

and have a safe trip

 

[tikamicizia]

hi i'm from indonesia!! I think there are no certain rules if you go to bali,, especially when you stay in kuta or legian coz it's where the tourists mostly stay so feel free to wear tube, shorts, etc.. and for the footwear you can wear thongs. balinese are very kind and hospitable btw

.. but maybe if you wanna visit their religious places such as temples, you should wear something more appropriate..

 

[talste]

Hi,

Im an ex Aussie currently in Penang, Malaysia after completing a 2 year stint in Batam Indonesia (next stop Amristar) !!!

Batam is in the boondocks and doesn't get as many western tourists as Bali so I ALWAYS got stared at when I was out & about. For modesty's sake and to try not to draw attention to myself I usually wore a short sleeve top & 3/4 pants when I was out in public. Bali is more liberal though.

shoes -thongs & sandals are a must as the footpaths are sooo bad in both country's.
Make up wise - I find I cant wear liquid foundation as it just melts right off.

Things to be wary of :
Petaling Street markets in KL be mindful of pick pockets, with haggling the rule of thumb is offer about a quarter of what the seller say's then settle some where in the middle.

Taxi's are non metered so tourists get ripped off ! Use your hotels preferred taxi service (ask the porter at the hotel) or avoid them altogether.

Toilets: I will never get used to the squat pan lol, I always carry tissues & that dettol hand sanitizer stuff as a lot of the public toilets don’t have paper or soap (at best!!), if you stick to touristy areas or large malls you should be ok.

Um food wise: I swear eating is Malaysia's national past time (the food is so darn yummy!!) I have always eaten at local hawker centers not the western outlets and I've never had any tummy upsets, just use good judgment if it looks like its been sitting out all day and smells funny, leave it.

oh another small tip use U.S currency to pay for your V.O.A (if u need one), In Batam the entrepreneurial immigration guys used to jack up the exchange rates when U.S currency wasn't used.

also Hotels, money changers & banks in Indonesian wont accept US bank notes that are more than 20 years old due to counterfeiting.

Those are a few random things I can think and I will cut it off here as the post is to long now.

If you want any more info, I would be happy to help.

Hope you have a great trip !!!

 

[smellyocheese]

^ Great Tips!

i totally agree with the haggling. but of course practically everything are imitations over there. despite whether the stuff are cheap or expensive. Should definitely look out for more random stuff like accessories and stuff.

yeah, the toilets are disgusting. even for me. so if you need to wee, try to borrow a hotel's toilet or maybe McDonald's toilet. that's usually what I do when I'm out and I need to go. some areas do have some high tech pay-a-buck toilets. I haven't tried those cuz typically we don't pay more than 30 cents to use the toilet. Perhaps you'd like to get used to the squat toilet. I always prefer that with public toilets. you don't wanna sit on the toilet sits. nuh-uh.

 

[breechan]

Thanks a whole bunch for the awesome advice so far. You guys have answered above and beyond my expectations.

I'm living in Japan these days, so squat toilets are no sweat. Also, definite lack of soap and towels are the norm. I love my hand sanitizer too. I think you were talking about squat toilets when you mentioned a pan. But yes, I think I'll be getting my Mcpee with a side of lies. (go to mcdonalds to use the toilet and dont order anything). lol

I have some more Qs about both locales.

a) Are the beach massages, and street massage places dangerous? Is it common to catch foot fungus or skin issues from the masseuses? Obviously the more expensive salons must be safer, but am I stupid to get a cheapy one along the way?

b) Will immigration give me a hard time if I'm carrying some "less than authentic" merchandise? I've heard that Indonesian immigration is really corrupt.

c) Is it true that in Bali, people will harass me asking "where are you from" "where are you going" " are you married"?

d) Is it common for police in Bali to stop you and ask you to pay a fine for basically no reason? And then you are supposed to smile and try to compromise?

As we say in Japan: "Arigatou gozaimasu." Which means thank you very much!

:h appydance:

 

[talste]

Glad we could help be of help so far,

what you have mentioned does happen every now and again and while I have had personal experience with a few of the things, remember the majority of tourists that travel to those destinations have no dramas at all.

Ok now to answer your questions:

a) Are the beach massages, and street massage places dangerous? Is it common to catch foot fungus or skin issues from the masseuses? Obviously the more expensive salons must be safer, but am I stupid to get a cheapy one along the way?

Not at all, I've had the cheapy massages in countries all over S.E Asia and never caught anything, like with the food just use good judgment if the place looks like a dive, walk out and try the place next door.

b) Will immigration give me a hard time if I'm carrying some "less than authentic" merchandise? I've heard that Indonesian immigration is really corrupt.

Immigration is very corrupt (Indo more than Malaysian) especially around the Holiday season (Ramadan thru to Chinese New Year) having said that they usually don’t care about "Genuine Reproductions" more the alcohol and electrical goods. I 've had personal experience with both in both countries even though I was well with in the limits for duty free. Other immigration guys just out right ask for money. Don't let that put you off as thousands of tourists come through Despensar International airports on a weekly basis with no dramas.

* I have been hassled by immigration coming into Malaysia at the JB ferry terminal, Never had any dramas with them at KL airport.

c) Is it true that in Bali, people will harass me asking "where are you from" "where are you going" " are you married"?

Yup, but It's not harassment it's just a cultural thing, it's perfectly normal for them to ask questions like that when they first meet some one, they don’t mean to be offensive, most are friendly and just want to practice their English. The stall holders however do it to try and entice you to buy from them, so if they get to annoying just be polite yet firm.

d) Is it common for police in Bali to stop you and ask you to pay a fine for basically no reason? And then you are supposed to smile and try to compromise?

Yeah again this does happen, more so around the holiday season but it's not a common thing, usually you need to be doing some thing that draws attention to yourself for them to pick on you.

Another useless bit of info I thought of is Malasyia is heavily advertised as a tourist destination in the middle east, May thru to July is the peak season for arab travellers and you do tend to see a lot of men in the full arab garb & women wearing a full burqa walking about in the malls at KL. That can be an unusual sight for some, thought I would mention it as I have heard a few tourists comment on it latley.

Hope that helps and glad to hear you have the squat toilet routine down pat, lol. Smellyocheese you're post regarding the toilets cracked me up.

Cheers

 

[smellyocheese]

a) Are the beach massages, and street massage places dangerous? Is it common to catch foot fungus or skin issues from the masseuses? Obviously the more expensive salons must be safer, but am I stupid to get a cheapy one along the way?

ah.. they're fine. as long as they don't look too funky. Go to places that looks abit more upscale. more spa-like rather than some brothel. I wouldn't go for massage at Bukit Bintang area where they're promoting their services on the streets and located next to a RM30-for-2-hours hotel. But don't worry, it's unlikely for you to catch anything typically. Even expensive looking massages can't be all that expensive. Usually around 40 Ringgit.

b) Will immigration give me a hard time if I'm carrying some "less than authentic" merchandise? I've heard that Indonesian immigration is really corrupt.

Nah, they couldn't be bothered really. their wives probably carry a faux coach bag too. It's so common here. lol. And yeah, our government are known to be very corrupted. but at this time of year it shouldn't be so bad.

c) Is it true that in Bali, people will harass me asking "where are you from" "where are you going" " are you married"?

i can't answer for Bali but in Malaysia, those questions are quite common as well. And I think that Malaysians are more polite to tourists rather than the locals. And even tourists are nicer to me than Malaysians are. So, you probably don't have much to worry about when it comes to harassment. Locals prefer to harass locals.


lol. yeah. you see alot of middle east tourists especially in high end places. They spend. A lot.

 

[breechan]

You guys are wonderful!

Thank you so much for answering my questions so thoroughly. I've travelled a lot all over the world, but never southern asia. I'm kinda of obsessive before I travel somewhere and have to know EVERYTHING! LOL. Perhaps kind of overly-obsessive...maybe. But thanks for indulging!

I'm so glad to hear that theres lots of massage places. I have horribly damaged feet from ballet, and any amount of walking = pain. I'm also looking foreward to seeing people in full Muslim garb. It's extremely uncommon to see that here in Japan. Speaking of which, they were marketing the hijab in Japan this year as a way to prevent the hay fever symptoms.

I'm heading to Tokyo tonite to see my BF and then flying out tomorrow and I'm pumped! I cant waaaaaaaaait!

If I think of any more questions, I'll come back to this thread.

THX AGAIN!!! ARIGATOU!!!

 

[smellyocheese]

you're welcome!! have a safe trip!

 

[talste]

Have a great time !!! Breechan you can return the favour If I ever make it to Japan

Smellyocheese: It's cool we have the same opinions on these things, makes me feel like a local

 

[AmberLilith]

Hope you have a great time honey - I know what you mean about researching everything - I printed out my own version of a tourist guide -maps and everything- when we went to Spain, my partner thought i was a bit mad, but i felt really well organised and had fun researching all the places we could go!